The CD Branch

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=82 BGCOLOR="#000066" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Clearance Diving Team 3 - Royal Australian Navy</B></FONT><B>     |  </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Clearance Diving Team 3 Royal Australia"><U><B> h</B></U></A><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Clearance Diving Team 3 Royal Australia"><U><B>ome</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>The CD Branch</B>   |   <A HREF="history.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Brief History"><U>Brief History</U></A>   |   <A HREF="service.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Service in Vietnam"><U>Service in Vietnam</U></A>   |   <A HREF="teams.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Teams"><U>The Teams</U></A>   |   <A HREF="album.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Albums"><U>Photo Albums</U></A>   |   <A HREF="articles.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Articles"><U>Articles</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="War Diary"><U>War Diary</U></A>   |   <A HREF="contact.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="War Statistics"><U>War Statistics</U></A>   |   <A HREF="details.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Webmaster"><U>Webmaster</U></A>   |   <A HREF="misc.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Misc."><U>Misc.</U></A>   |   <A HREF="links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U>Links</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reunions"><U>Reunions</U></A>   |   <A HREF="guestbook.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Guestbook"><U>Guestbook</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000066" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <IMG SRC="085b4e70.jpg" border=0 width="180" height="231" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> "Standard Diving Dress" </div> <div> early 50's. </div> <div> <IMG SRC="1b3b4850.jpg" border=0 width="180" height="133" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> "Drager" Mixed Gas 1970's<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >.</FONT></div> <div> <IMG SRC="396b42a0.jpg" border=0 width="180" height="298" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Oxygen Breathing Apparatus.</div> <div> Used for clandestine ship attack until the late '70s.</div> <div> (<I>the most comfortable diving set ever produced -webmaster's opinion</I>).</div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=398 BGCOLOR="#00FFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="49d00c00egertu.jpg"> <div> <I>The CD Branch</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>The Clearance Diving Branch of the Royal Australian Navy was formed in 1951 with the primary role of</B><B> </B><I><B>"location. identification and disposal of Mines underwater"</B></I><B>.</B><B> It's secondary role included </B><I><B>"underwater maintenance, training of the Fleet in ship defense against saboteurs, beach reconnaissance and minor salvage"</B></I><B>.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The diving school was located at HMAS Rushcutter on Sydney Harbour  and remained there until 1968 when it was relocated to HMAS Penguin, also situated on Sydney Harbour. Although the Navy divers  adopted the new CD role from 1951, it wasn't until 1955 that the first dedicated 'Clearance Diving' course qualified utilizing O</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B>2</B></FONT><B> rebreathing  and mixed gas diving equipment.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>During 1961 the first RAN trained CD officers qualified from Rushcutter and at the beginning of 1962 the branch numbered  a total of 51 officers and sailors.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>During the formative years leading up to the Branch's baptism of fire in '67, CDs developed their </B><I><B>"</B></I><I><B>can do easy</B></I><I><B>"</B></I><B>  attitude performing a diverse range of diving, EOD and salvage related  tasks. With obsolete equipment and limited support from the Naval command structure, CDs had to develop and hone their skills</B><I><B> '</B></I><I><B>in house</B></I><I><B>'</B></I><B>. This necessitated an extreme  level of  improvisation which led to developing skills and  breeding an independence in the Clearance Diving Branch which makes the Australian Clearance Diver of today quite unique in the world of Military Diving. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Service in Vietnam changed the way RAN CDs saw themselves and perhaps more importantly, highly complimentary reports from our American allies began to open the eyes of senior RAN officers to the high level of professionalism of the Aussie CD. They had worked alongside the largest and most powerful Military force in the world and fought against the world's most committed and  resourceful guerrilla soldier - and in this company they were not found wanting.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The Viet Cong (VC) put a price on their heads and the US Military  increasingly called on them to conduct operations which were outside of their core responsibilities - a testament to their skills, adaptability and ever growing professionalism.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Today's RAN CDs still carry out all of the original roles formulated for the Branch back in 1951. Since the early '80s they have continued to </B><B>expand </B><B>their multi faceted capabilities, including their growing commitment to the highly specialized </B><I><B>'Maritime Tactical Assault'</B></I><B> and counter terrorist  roles. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>For a more detailed history of the RAN Clearance Diving Branch, please visit  the </B><B>website of the</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.rancd-association.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.rancd-association.com"><U><B>RANCD Association</B></U></A><B> .</B></div> <div>  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>